art cannot produce change; rather, it is a product of change that is occurring. marxists have never understood this properly. plato, on the other hand, understood it perfectly.

it follows that art is an end, and not a means. when we see movements of creative art, we know something has already changed and it is too late for reactionary forces to reverse it. it's celebratory; gloating, even.

but, it also represents the phase where the movement becomes decadent. every art-based counterculture movement has been co-opted. artists inherently seek to go beyond struggle and merely exist. so, it's not just a failed tactic but we can understand why it's a failed tactic. let's learn from this, not repeat the same mistakes again.

http://jacobinmag.com/2013/12/art-in-the-age-of-fatalism/